Conference was organised by he OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Georgetown University on the occasion of 10th anniversary of the Cordoba 2007 OSCE Chairmanship.

The OSCE Chairmanship Conference on Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims took place in Cordoba in 2007 under OSCE Spanish Chairmanship-in-Office. During the conference, Declaration on Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims was adopted, highlighting the challenges related to manifestations of intolerance against Muslims in the OSCE region.

The OSCE participating States have pledged to enact a comprehensive set of measures to respond to intolerance and hate crimes against Muslims, and also to implement educational activities to raise awareness about intolerance against Muslims and promote tolerance and non-discrimination.

The aim of Vienna conference was to explore how these concerns have been addressed and to review them in light of new challenges and the principles of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Besides participating states delegations the conference gathered academics, professionals, experts, as well as civil society organizations’ representatives active in this field to provide an input for participating States as well as ODIHR’s work against intolerance and discrimination of Muslims.

Objectives of this event are to:

Review the implementation of OSCE commitments related to intolerance against Muslims and identify implementation gaps, including those related to gender aspects;

Survey new challenges related to manifestations of intolerance and discrimination against Muslims, including hate crimes, in the OSCE region;

Share good practices and experiences that illustrate what can be done to effectively and sustainably prevent and address intolerance against Muslims;

Provide a forum to discuss civil society’s engagement with the OSCE and ODIHR;

Facilitate and enhance coalition-building, exchange and co-operation among key stakeholders throughout the OSCE region.

Assess how ODIHR can further support participating States and civil society organizations in areas of: combating intolerance, discrimination and hate crimes against Muslims, political and media narratives, education and the security challenges of Muslim communities;

Formulate recommendations for future activities on the local, national and regional level.